AT&T Says It Is ‘Pushing the Envelope’ on UAV Possibilities

Earlier this year, AT&T and Intel teamed up to test how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can function on a long-term evolution (LTE) network. Now, AT&T has announced the trial launch of its “national drone program,” which will explore this and other drone capabilities.

According to a blog from John Donovan, chief strategy officer and group president of AT&T Technology and Operations, the company has been exploring for the last year the “different ways drones can benefit [its] customers.”

At the SHAPE AT&T Tech Expo in San Francisco this week, AT&T plans to do a live demo of UAVs for cell tower inspections, which the company has been performing through its drone program, the blog says.

AT&T is also exploring the deployment of UAVs to offer LTE coverage in situations such as emergency response or at large events. In addition, the company says the drones can use LTE to “send large amounts of data in real time” for fields including farming and insurance.

“We’re moving toward the future by pushing the envelope on what’s technologically possible for drones,” says the blog, the entirety of which can be found here.

Stay Connected

Unmanned Aerial Online is the web's destination for news, analysis and thought leadership about the burgeoning commercial and civil unmanned aerial vehicle sector, covering the applications, technologies and ideas that are driving the industry.